Forest Service stresses prevention for residents in fire-prone areas

Sara HigginsMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 3:15 pm, Monday, June 27, 2011

It's time for West Texas residents to embrace the inevitability of fires, a Texas Forest Service specialist suggested at a fire preparedness meeting Monday. In doing so, they can learn to live with fires the way other parts of the state have learned to prepare for tornadoes and hurricanes.

Patrick Allen, wildland/urban interface specialist, sought to answer questions Monday afternoon regarding wildfire preparedness, the process of how different agencies become involved with fighting a fire, and why Texas is having its worst wildfire season in recorded history. The event was hosted by the Sibley Nature Center as part of the center's Concho Resources Brown Bag Luncheon series.

"Wildland fire has a natural role in the ecosystem," said Allen. "Agricultural producers use it to bring about the good, green grass. Unfortunately, with all the population and all the people moving into rural areas, we've waged a war against it."

As more people build their houses out in wildlands, more fires abruptly are stopped to protect structures and lives. This, combined with reduced grazing and controlled burns, allows tall grass to build up, providing future fuel for fires. Having houses more spread out in rural areas also can provide a challenge to many local fire departments.

"To have a house here and a house there, they have to spread out their resources, where if there's a community they can make a stand outside the community and battle it from there," he said.

Allen came to Midland two months ago through the Texas Forest Service. He shares temporary trailer offices, which are located by the Midland County Fire Marshal's office on Highway 80, with Lori Hazel, who has been the assistant chief regional fire coordinator since February. The Texas Forest Service currently is hiring task force personnel to maintain heavy equipment and bulldozers based out of Midland for wildfire response.

Traditionally, the Texas Forest Service's efforts have been based in East Texas, which has more heavy timber. This year's fires have shown the organization that there is also a need for its continued presence in the western portion of the state.

The Hickman fire that destroyed 19 buildings south of Midland on April 9 marked the two-year anniversary of an outbreak of 208 wildfires in several communities in northeast Texas. Hundreds of firefighters worked to battle flames that charred 140,000 acres of land, killed four people and destroyed 114 homes. Weather conditions, referred to as the Southern Plains Wildfire Outbreak pattern, were largely to blame for the large firestorm, which weather forecasters generally refer to today as extremely critical fire weather.

"With the CEED fire that we had here last month, the day before that, we knew that the next day was going to be a really bad day because of the high, sustained winds," Allen recalled. "We started putting out public announcements and calling as many media as we could."

Greenwood Volunteer Fire Department Chief Leland Hart attended the meeting with some of his firefighters, and stressed the importance of prevention.

"I've been doing this for 30 years and have never seen fire behavior like I have this year," he said.

Prevention not only includes keeping grass mowed and leaving on sprinklers when evacuating, but also helping local fire departments obtain information about the area. Knowing the location of the nearest water source and alerting authorities as to what preventative measures already have been taken is helpful, Hart added.

Direct flames and radiating heat aren't the only causes of damage to houses during wildfires, according to Allen. Wind can carry firebrands, or embers up to two miles ahead of a fire and land in combustible areas where vegetation has accumulated. Leaf litter provides kindling, and a wooden deck or roof may act like logs of a campfire. Allen said he's seen people dangerously store firewood on their decks or against propane tanks.

Landscaping wisely in fire-prone areas doesn't necessarily mean West Texans should denude their property of plants, Allen said. Ways to prevent fire damage include choosing plants that are more resistant to fire, setting plants back from buildings, and even creating a defensible buffer around the house, such as a sidewalk acting as a firebreak or gravel walkway with a rock planter.

Those who attended the meeting had an important leadership role to play for their neighbors and community, according to Allen. Home or property owners' associations can gather together to create Firewise Communities that teach their neighborhoods how to be prepared and safe during fires.

"It's about the community response," he said. "I hope people will go out and share with their neighbors what we talked about today."

If you are interested in learning more about protecting your home and property from wildfires, please contact Patrick Allen at (432) 684-4915 or pallen@tfs.tamu.edu. More information can be found at www.firewise.org and www.inciweb.org.